{"product_id":"lions-drag-strip-1955-1972-butch-the-california-flash-leal-2-book-set","title":"Lions Drag Strip: 1955-1972 \u0026 Butch “The California Flash” Leal 2 Book Set","description":"\u003cp\u003eHot rodders and the “drag” cars that they raced in unsanctioned\u003cbr\u003eexhibitions had become a nuisance with law enforcement\u003cbr\u003ein Los Angeles, California. So, in an effort to make racing\u003cbr\u003esafer, C. J. “Pappy” Hart (founder of the Santa Ana Drag Strip),\u003cbr\u003eNorris Poulson (mayor of Los Angeles), John Chadwick (member\u003cbr\u003eof the Wilmington Lions Club), and others collaborated to\u003cbr\u003ecreate the world-famous Lions Associated Drag Strip. With an\u003cbr\u003eapproved proposal, shovels sunk into the sand in August 1955\u003cbr\u003ein Wilmington, California, christening the birth of the world’s\u003cbr\u003egreatest drag strip.\u003cbr\u003eMickey Thompson was hired to operate Lions Drag Strip\u003cbr\u003e(also known as “the Beach”), quickly turning it into Southern\u003cbr\u003eCalifornia’s wildest venue to watch drag racing. Innovations,\u003cbr\u003eincluding staging lights, track lighting for night racing, and concession\u003cbr\u003estands, made Lions Drag Strip the place to be.\u003cbr\u003eThe world’s greatest drag racers, such as Jack Chrisman,\u003cbr\u003eTom McEwen, Art Chrisman, Don Prudhomme, Chris Karamesines,\u003cbr\u003eConnie Kalitta, and Don Garlits, as well as a cast of\u003cbr\u003ethousands of others, descended upon Lions Drag Strip for exhibition\u003cbr\u003eand match racing. Fabled East-West showdowns, Fuel\u003cbr\u003eAltereds, Funny Cars, and Jet cars broke attendance records\u003cbr\u003eand set national records throughout the 1960s. In addition,\u003cbr\u003ethrill-seeker Evel Knievel leaped over 13 cars at Lions Drag\u003cbr\u003eStrip to the excitement of 14,000 fans in December 1970.\u003cbr\u003eSadly, Lions Drag Strip closed on December 3, 1972, due\u003cbr\u003eto the location being valued as industrial real estate and the\u003cbr\u003eapproaching urban sprawl.\u003cbr\u003eLions Automobilia Foundation Museum volunteer Lou Hart\u003cbr\u003ebrings forth this year-by-year illustrated history of Lions Drag\u003cbr\u003eStrip’s most memorable events with never-before-seen images\u003cbr\u003ein Lions Drag Strip: 1955–1972!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e• This is the first book ever that chronicles the entire\u003cbr\u003ehistory of Lions Drag Strip.\u003cbr\u003e• Lions Drag Strip was Los Angeles’s most famous drag\u003cbr\u003estrip.\u003cbr\u003e• Over the years, millions of fans visited Lions Drag\u003cbr\u003eStrip.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBorn and raised in central California, Larry “Butch” Leal\u003cbr\u003ewas obsessed with cars from a very early age. What began\u003cbr\u003ewith field cars turned into hard work and new Chevrolets.\u003cbr\u003eThis took place when the golden era of drag racing was in\u003cbr\u003eits infancy, and Leal joined with enthusiasm. He performed\u003cbr\u003ewell at the track with his early Chevys and had an impressive\u003cbr\u003enumber of wins before he was out of high school. His\u003cbr\u003esuccess brought him plenty of attention and collaboration\u003cbr\u003ewith other big names in the sport.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1963, GM pulled out of the sport on an official basis.\u003cbr\u003eAs a result, Butch (at age 19) teamed up with Mickey\u003cbr\u003eThompson and joined the Ford camp, securing a ride with\u003cbr\u003ethe factory team and its new Thunderbolts for 1964. After\u003cbr\u003ehis success that season, including winning the Super Stock\u003cbr\u003e(S\/S) class at the 1964 NHRA US Nationals in Indianapolis,\u003cbr\u003eChrysler came calling, and Butch signed on to race the new\u003cbr\u003ealtered-wheelbase cars in match races for 1965, as the\u003cbr\u003eNHRA did not have a class for these new “funny” looking\u003cbr\u003ecars. While Leal dabbled again with Ford and Chevrolet\u003cbr\u003elater, his relationship with Chrysler lasted well into the\u003cbr\u003efollowing decades, running both Funny Cars and Super\u003cbr\u003eStockers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePenned by talented automotive historian Bob McClurg,\u003cbr\u003ewho was there for it all, and featuring full collaboration with\u003cbr\u003ethe book’s subject, Butch “The California Flash” Leal covers\u003cbr\u003ethe span of his fascinating career during arguably the\u003cbr\u003emost interesting era in drag racing history. Butch was an\u003cbr\u003e11-time NHRA champion and 4-time recipient of Car Craft\u003cbr\u003emagazine’s All-Star Driver of the Year award in a career\u003cbr\u003ethat spanned the 1960s through the 1990s. It’s all here, the\u003cbr\u003eevents, great vintage photography, and the stories from one\u003cbr\u003eof the best storytellers the NHRA has ever known. Add this\u003cbr\u003eentertaining volume to your drag racing library today.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e• This is the first ever biography on Butch “The California\u003cbr\u003eFlash” Leal.\u003cbr\u003e• It is filled with never-before-seen vintage drag racing\u003cbr\u003ephotography.\u003cbr\u003e• Leal is a great storyteller; he shared many stories for\u003cbr\u003ethis book.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Midlife Classic Cars","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50495762825496,"sku":"KIT9781613258538\/9781613257104","price":57.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0057\/9813\/3831\/files\/kit97816132585389781613257104.jpg?v=1772256786","url":"https:\/\/www.midlifeclassiccars.com\/ar\/products\/lions-drag-strip-1955-1972-butch-the-california-flash-leal-2-book-set","provider":"MidlifeClassicCars.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}